Traveling is turning into a luxury for the rich. A recent Newsweek poll found that nearly half of Americans have ditched their summer plans because of sky-high airfares. Luckily, finding a cheap flight is a science that can be hacked, and there are experts who have nailed this skill.
In 2014, Scott Keyes found a $130 roundtrip flight from NYC to Milan and realized he had a rare talent for finding cheap flights. He started an email list, called Scott’s Cheap Flights to share his tips with globetrotters looking to save. About ten years later, that email list turned into Going, a company dedicated to finding cheap flights for people.
Keyes occasionally hosts Ask Me Anything (AMA) sessions on Reddit, helping users crack the code for scoring the best deals. We went through one of his threads and pulled together 10 nifty tricks to help you find a cheap flight.
1. Catch the Goldilocks Window
You might be mumbling, “What the heck is Goldilocks Window, some girl band from the 80s?” According to Keyes, this is your getaway to flying on the cheap. It’s the sweet spot when you can find the cheapest fares — not too early, not too late, just right in the middle. For example, if you are looking for domestic flights, the Goldilock Window would be one to three months before the travel day, given you are traveling in the off-season. You should book three to six months in advance for peak seasons like the summer, Christmas, or spring break. For overseas travelers, the Goldilocks Window should be two to eight months in advance for off-season and four to ten months for peak season.
2. Cookies and Web Data Don’t Matter
When searching for cheap flights online, we all tend to get superstitious and fall for
misconceptions like clearing the cache and cookies data. Well, Keyes says it doesn’t matter — but it won’t hurt you, either.
“I remember searching once for a flight from Denver-London. First search: $442 roundtrip. Second search: $442. I searched it 100x in a row, all on video, just to prove that cookies don’t make a difference,” Keyes explains. “But if you have an extra 30 seconds and it makes you feel better, go ahead and clear that cache.”
3. Reverse Search
If you’re flexible with the destination and travel dates, and finding a cheap flight is your top priority, reverse your search. Instead of picking your destination, check out the cheapest flights available on Google Flights, Momondo, or similar sites, and then let those date-driven deals guide you where you go.
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4. Avoid One-Way Tickets for Multi-City Travel
The worst way to book multi-city travel is to buy each leg as a one-way ticket, especially for long-haul international flights. One-way flights, particularly on transoceanic routes, are often priced similarly to roundtrip fares, which can seriously inflate costs. Instead, the smart move is to book your main international legs — like the U.S. to Tokyo and Seoul to the U.S. — as a multi-city (“open jaw”) itinerary.
5. Opt for Smaller Airports for the Best Deal
While the general opinion is that the JFKs and LaGuardias of the world offer cheaper deals, Keyes argues that your small, honky-tonk airport might give you better savings. For example, “A flight from New York to Dublin might normally cost $800 roundtrip, so when the price drops to $400, that’s a savings of $400,” Keyes explains to a Redditor who asked about finding cheap flights from smaller airports. “Meanwhile, a flight from [Glacier Park International Airport] FCA to Dublin might normally cost $1,600, so when the price drops to $581 (as it did not long ago!), that’s a savings of over $1,000. It would be literally impossible to save $1,000 on NYC-DUB flights unless the airline gives you a free ticket and $200 in cash.”
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6. Cancel Free for 24 Hours
Under federal law, you have 24 hours to cancel and get a full refund booking. So, if you spot a great fare but need time to decide, go ahead and book it. You can use that 24-hour window to finalize your plans without worrying about losing the deal.
7. Avoid Flights on Friday and Sunday
Here’s another travel tip: The day of the week can make a big difference in your ticket price. Fridays and Sundays tend to be the most expensive for flying, while Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays usually offer the cheapest fares.
8. For Groups, Book One Ticket at a Time
When you book flights for more than yourself, buying them all at once seems only logical, right? Well, yes, but according to Keyes, it’s more expensive than buying them individually for each person. Airlines sell seats in price groups, known as fare buckets. This means that if you search for two or more tickets and only one cheap seat is left, the airline will skip the cheaper fare and show you higher prices.
To save money, try booking one ticket at a time. You might get the first ticket at the lowest price and pay more for the next, but you’ll spend less overall.
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9. Book in the Opposite Season
Booking flights in the opposite season from when you travel is similar to getting a great deal on a winter coat in July. When demand is lower, so are the prices. So if you’re planning to visit Europe for Christmas, book your flight in the summer. And if you’re dreaming of a summer getaway, grab your tickets in the winter.
10. Set Fare Alerts
Once you’ve nailed down your travel dates and destination, Keyes advises setting a price alert on Kayak or Google Flights to easily track fares and get notified when they drop.
